2015 in LGBT Rights

In 2015, there were 121 recorded legal changes made affecting LGBT people. In the previous year, there were 159 changes made and 182 in the following year. A total of 1255 legal changes have been made so far in the 2010s.

The Ukraine parliament voted to change the country's labor code to include protection against employment discrimination regardless of "race, colour, political, religious and other beliefs, sex gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnic, social and foreign origin, age, health, disability, or suspected presence of HIV/AIDS, family and property status, family responsibilities, place of residence, or participation in a strike."

Since 2015, same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples have the same legal protections available to opposite-sex married couples, within a civil union - except for adoption rights and the title of marriage.

Before October 1st, a proof of surgery was required.
With Bill n°35 : An Act to amend the Civil Code as regards civil status, successions and the publication of rights, it's not required anymore.
''SECTION IV
CHANGE OF DESIGNATION OF SEX
71. Every person whose sexual identity does not correspond to the designation of sex that appears in that person's act of birth may, if the conditions prescribed by this Code and by government regulation have been met, have that designation and, if necessary, the person's given names changed.
These changes may in no case be made dependent on the requirement to have undergone any medical treatment or surgical operation whatsoever.'' (Civil Code of Québec)
To qualify to change the sex designation appearing on your act of birth, you must:
- be 18 years of age or over;
- hold Canadian citizenship;
- be domiciled in Québec for at least one year.
If you were born in Québec but live elsewhere, you may also qualify to change your sex designation if you show that such an amendment is not possible in the province or country in which you are domiciled.
If you qualify to apply, you must complete the Application to Change the Sex Designation Appearing on an Act of Birth form and provide the documents indicated on the form.
In particular, you must provide an affidavit in which you affirm:
- that the designation of sex requested is the designation that best corresponds your sexual identity;
- that you assume that sexual identity and intend to continue doing so;
- that you understand the seriousness of the undertaking;
- that your undertaking is voluntary and your consent is given in a free and enlightened manner.
You must also include:
- the affidavit of a person of full age who attests to having known you for at least one year and who confirms that you are fully aware of the seriousness of your application;
- if you have already obtained a change of the designation of sex that appears in your act of birth, you must also include a letter from a physician, a psychologist, a psychiatrist or a sexologist authorized to practice in Canada or in the State in which you are domiciled, who declares having evaluated or followed you and is of the opinion that the change of the designation is appropriate having regard to the affidavit you made in support of your initial application. (Directeur de l'état civil Québec, change of sex designation)

Under the bill that provided lgbt protections for youth in foster care. Full state conversion therapy ban pending. In Certain cities it is outlawed. Illegal in foster care. Full Criminalization pending.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has ruled that “[A]llegations of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation necessarily state a claim of discrimination on the basis of sex”, and are barred by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This ruling applies at both the state and federal level.
Furthermore, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled on April 20, 2012 that an employer who discriminates against an employee or applicant on the basis of the person’s gender identity is violating the prohibition on sex discrimination contained in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Although not explicitly mentioned in the penal code, the justice minister clarified that homosexuality is not an offence in Mozembique. New penal code explicitly removed "crimes against nature", leaving no ground whatsoever for homosexuality to be illegal. It is expected to go into effect June 29th, 2015.

Puerto Rico legalizes gay marriage after US Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage. Shortly after the ruling, Alejandro Garcia Padilla, the governor of Puerto Rico, signed an executive order requiring government agencies to be compliant with the ruling.

On June 4, Ontario unanimously passed a Bill 77 "Affirming Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Act" banning "any practice that seeks to change or direct the sexual orientation or gender identity of a patient under 18 years of age, including efforts to change or direct the patient's behavior or gender expression."

SB353 passed final vote in Nevada on May 22, 2015 banning conversion therapy for homosexual youths, however, while it passed, protections for transgender persons were not included. The bill has passed, but has been referred to committee to discuss the amendment.

In addition to the existing HIV/AIDS law, public workers are now also protected. Within federal agencies, same sex partnerships are also required to be recognized as a family when requesting time off for spousal medical emergencies.

European court found the sterilization requirement in Article 40 of the Civil Code to be unconstitutional.
" A person who wishes to change their gender may request permission to change their gender by applying in person to the court. However, for the permission to be granted, the applicant must be 18 years old and must be unmarried. The applicant must also be in a transsexual nature and must document the necessity to change their gender for their mental health and that they are permanently deprived of reproductive abilities through an official health committee report obtained from an education and research hospital. Depending on the permission granted, once the gender reassignment surgery fit for the aim and medical methods has been completed and verified by an official health committee report, the court decides to make the necessary changes in the population registry."

In Bill 10, a bill ensuring the right of students to form gay-straight alliances in Alberta schools, amendments were added before it was passed adding protection of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to the Alberta Bill of Rights. Bill 10 goes into effect on June 1, 2015.
The Alberta Human Rights Act has not yet been explicitly modified to include gender identity and gender expression, though they continue to be read in implicitly by the Alberta Human Rights Commission.